Epithet of a Heart
by rjs0123
Summary: PDLD Alas! The love of women! It is known to be a lovely and fearful thing When Rory and Finn meet up the result may be explosive.
1. IM me

Epithet of a Heart

Rory had always hated Valentine's Day. In her opinion, it was the most overrated holiday out there. A holiday invented by women in love to make themselves feel better by making those who had no one to love feel worse.

It was, of course, all well and good if you had a significant other on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, Rory was alone this fine day. She hadn't had a boyfriend in over two years. Dean didn't count – he had a wife – and the fling she had had with Logan had been short-lived.

That was part of the reason she was alone in the pub, drinking down shot after shot trying to drown her sorrows. Everyone on campus seemed to have paired off while she was reduced to half-heartedly flirting with a middle aged bartender in the midst of her quest to get sufficiently drunk so that she wouldn't remember this in the morning.

Rory glanced over at the pool tables. Interestingly enough they were starting to call her, despite the fact that she hadn't played a single game of pool in her life. She shrugged minutely to herself - maybe all of the alcohol was finally starting to work.

Suddenly a loud voice announced its presence. "Alas! The love of women! It is known to be a lovely and fearful thing!" proclaimed Finn loudly in her ear.

Internally she cursed her bad luck – she wasn't in the mood to deal with Finn and his quirks. "Lord Byron."

"Quite right my astute friend," said Finn smiling as he came into Rory's view.

"Hello Finn," said Rory, resigned to the fact that Finn wasn't going anywhere.

"If I may ask, what are you doing at this fine establishment on a day like today?"

Rory looked at him, incredulous. "I could ask you the same thing. Don't you have some arm candy that needs attending to?"

Finn shook his head energetically. "Nope."

"Huh. Learn something new everyday."

"So, back to my question: What is a fine young lady such as yourself doing all alone on Valentine's Day?"

"I'm trying to drown my sorrows. Want to join me?" Rory asked gamely as she scooped up a handful of candy hearts that were sitting on the bar, in place of the peanuts regularly kept there.

"Don't mind if I do," said Finn as he plopped down on a barstool. He reached over to take a candy heart and did a double take. "Why are there no white ones?" he asked Rory.

"Sorry buddy. The early bird gets the worm. I've been picking the white ones out for over an hour now."

"But the white ones are my favorite," whined Finn pathetically.

"Join the club."

Finn reached down the bar to drag another bowl of the candies toward him.

"Don't bother," Rory told him. "When I said I've been picking all of the white ones out, I meant all of them."

"Why, you conniving little girl!" said Finn with an almost proud look on his face. "I've taught you well."

"I beg to differ," said Rory. "My mother taught me well."

"Yes, well, that too," said Finn airily. Finn called the bartender over and ordered a beer. Rory raised an eyebrow – Finn just didn't seem like the type who drank beer. "Some days, the unsophisticated holds its own value," he offered as explanation. "Valentine's Day is one of those days." His face darkened and Rory's curiosity was piqued.

"Why?"

Finn took a gulp of his beer. "Why what? Oh, why is Valentine's Day one of those days?"

"Yeah."

Finn waved his hand dismissively. "It's a long, complicated, boring story that no one should be subjected to."

Rory sensed that this was a touchy subject and let it drop.

They sat popping candy hearts into their mouths at random intervals. Abruptly, Rory snorted and Finn looked up at her confused.

"It says 'IM me,'" Rory laughed.

Finn looked at the bartender. "How much has she had?"

The barkeep looked just as astonished at Rory's behavior as Finn did. "Not enough to cause that!"

"I'm sorry," said Rory, wiping her eyes, "I was just wondering if it was a command, like this one that says 'email me' or a statement like this one here that says 'URA 10'"

Finn just shook his head. "Come on, silly girl," he said, holding his hand out to her. "Let's go play some darts."

Rory looked contemplatively at his hand. "Darts? I was thinking more about playing pool."

"Nonsense," said Finn. "Why waste your inebriation on pool? It's harder to play pool when drunk, but it's easier to play darts."

"I don't believe you," said Rory, but she put her hand in Finn's nonetheless.

"Good girl," said Finn as he pulled her to her feet and swung his arm around her shoulder.

As they started playing darts, Finn demanded, "So, tell me a secret!"

Rory spun around and look at him. "Like what?"

"Like why you're here alone," Finn suggested.

"It's no secret," she said. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"So tell me about your past boyfriends…" urged Finn.

"Only if you tell me why you hate Valentine's Day," countered Rory.

Finn acquiesced surprisingly easily. "Deal."

"Alright," said Rory, as she sat down, letting Finn take his turn at the dartboard. "I don't know what you want to know…" she sighed.

"Let's start with names."

"Jess and Dean."

"First and last."

"Dean Forrester and Jess Mariano."

"Alright. Situation?"

"Dean was my first boyfriend; we broke up because I liked Jess. Jess left right for California before my high school graduation. The end. Your turn."

"I'm sure there's more to it then that, but I'll let you off the hook for now," said Finn graciously. Rory looked at him expectantly. "How about I give you the Reader's Digest version? My mom and dad split up on V-day."

Rory didn't know what to say. That wasn't what she had been expecting. "I'm sorry."

Finn shrugged. "Ancient history."

"If it really was ancient history, it probably wouldn't hurt so much," observed Rory sagely.

"You got me there," said Finn. They both sat in contemplative silence looking at the dartboard as if it held all of the answers.

* * *

**AN: Okay, since I'm such a nice person, I'm going to try and write a multichapter Finn/Rory! I don't know how it will turn out, so don't expect too much. But in the meantime, I'd love to hear what you think! Review, please- Rebecca**


	2. Diagnosis: Drunk

Epithet of a heart

Chapter 2

"I have no idea how you do that," commented Rory after losing a fifth game of darts to Finn.

"Some people are just born with it, I guess," quipped Finn.

"Sure they are." Rory stood shakily. "So, do you have plans tonight?"

"I thought we'd already established that I don't. Remember, I hate Valentine's?"

"Well then, what would you say to going to my dorm?" Finn quirked an eyebrow at her, and she quickly continued. "We could order pizza and watch an entirely overrated chick flick."

Finn gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'd love to, hun."

The two staggered out into the fresh twilight air. Halfway to Rory's dorm, it started to rain. While Finn tried to run ahead, Rory slowly started twirling. A couple of seconds later, Finn looked around.

"What are you doing?"

"I just love rain," gushed Rory. "It's so cleansing. Like it's trying to wash away all of the bad things that have happened – you just need to let it clean you too."

Finn chuckled, not sure if she was joking or not. "I think you've had too much to drink."

"Maybe so," acknowledged Rory, "but I love rain anyway. My best friend and I had a rain religion in middle school," said Rory seriously. She paused. "But we also worshipped a tree, so I don't know how much stock you can put into our religion."

"It sounds like an imminently sensible religion to me," volunteered Finn.

Rory turned to look at him. "You've had too much to drink too!"

"Tis true, my lady. Now, how about we go get dry?"

"If you insist," shrugged Rory.

They made their way to Rory's dorm and stood, dripping wet, outside the door, as Rory rummaged for her keys. When she came up empty handed, she looked at Finn desperately. "I can't find my keys."

Finn grabbed the purse and dumped all of its contents on the floor.

"Hey!" protested Rory.

Finn shook the purse, turned it over, and looked inside. "You're right. No keys!"

Rory was torn between the desire to knock Finn over the back of the head and the desire to kick herself for forgetting her keys. In the end, she hit her own forehead. "I can't believe I am such a…a…dork-face! Locking myself out of my own dorm!"

"A dork-face?" asked Finn grinning.

This time, she did hit him over the back of the head. "Shut up!"

Finn pursed his lips, pretending to be in deep thought. "Patient reverts to grade school level maturity," he mock scribbled on an imaginary clipboard. "Diagnosis: drunk."

Rory slid down the wall, exasperated.

"Don't worry, reporter girl," said Finn. "It's going to be fine." Rory felt Finn's hand on her head in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture. When he didn't take his hand away, and instead started playing with her hair, she whipped around.

"What are you doing?"

"Why'd you have to move?" whined Finn. "I almost had one!"

"Had one what?"

"A bobby pin!"

"What for?" asked Rory, as she clumsily moved her hands to her hair and started fiddling for a bobby pin.

Finn rolled his eyes. "I have this lock of hair that won't stay out of my face. It's wet and cold and it's making me shiver."

"What?" Rory asked as she handed him the bobby pin.

"I'm going to pick the lock."

"Oh," Rory sat back to watch as Finn began picking the lock. His dexterity impaired slightly by all the beer he had had, it took him a full three minutes before they heard the click and the door swung open.

"After you, milady," said Finn with a grand bow.

Reluctantly, she went inside. "Where'd you learn that?" she queried.

"Colin's older brother showed us when we were seven. I'm the best at it," he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I think that's why they keep me around. Well, that and my good looks."

"Colin has an older brother?" Rory asked, trying to put all these pieces together.

Finn nodded his head. "Odell. He's actually Colin's half-brother."

"Colin definitely got the better name." Rory remarked absently.

"Yes, it always happens that way," mused Finn. "The first child is given the distinctive name, and the next gets the better, more common, hipper name."

"Did you just say hipper?"

"I believe I did. My god, I'm drunker than I thought."

"Going back to your point about the names: I disagree."

"Case in point?"

"My mom."

"Hmm. You're the first born, right?" At Rory's inclined head, he continued. "And your name is?"

"Lorelai Leigh."

"Exactly. You're name is distinctive. Do you have younger siblings?" Rory shook her head. "Well, if you did, they would probably be named Will, or Elizabeth."

"You're crazy."

"No, I'm right. I'm an only child, and what did my parents name me? Finley Thaddeus Caldwell." He shuddered. "Now Finley I can live with, but Thaddeus? What were my parents thinking?"

"Thaddeus?" Rory tried the name out. She shrugged and her face lit up. "I'll call you Thad from now on!"

"No!" cried Finn desperately.

Rory giggled. "Thad!"

Finn crossed his arms. "You can call me that, but I won't respond."

"Thad, there are plenty of people who don't fit into your name rule," she said, going back to the original topic.

"Sure, those people who have 2.3 kids, live in a decent house with a white picket fence for the dog." He shrugged. "Exceptions to the rule!"

Rory giggled again. "I got you to respond to Thad! I win!"

Finn thought back over the conversation, and pouted. "That is so not fair!"

"Pshaw!" said Rory. "I still win!"

For the first time, Finn looked around the room. "Nice place you've got here," he commented as he walked around and touched his finger to the T.V. to look for dust. "So, where's your roommate?"

"Paris? Oh, she's probably out with Doyle."

"Doyle? Editor Doyle?"

Rory nodded her head vigorously. "So, does everyone get a noun in front of their names? Bartender Marty? Editor Doyle? Let me guess? I'm Reporter Girl Rory?"

"Not necessarily. I'm just clarifying that we're talking about the same person." Finn laughed. "We always thought Doyle was gay. You know, the way he always sucks up to Logan."

"He sucks up to Logan and you guys just assume he's gay? You couldn't think of any other reason he might suck up to Logan?" Finn shook his head. "Not, say, the fact that Logan's father is only the largest newspaper mogul ever?"

"What does Mitchum have to do with anything?"

"Doyle. Editor. Paper. Mitchum. Owns. Papers." As Rory said each word, Finn ticked them off on his fingers.

"Okay, it makes sense now." He paused for a moment. "Are you sure he's not gay?"

Rory nodded her head. "I had the unfortunate experience of seeing Doyle emerge from Paris' room wearing nothing but her tiny bathrobe." This time, they both shuddered at the mental image.

All of a sudden, Rory seemed to realize how wet they both were. "Umm, Finn?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I don't have any clothes you could wear, but you could go take a nice warm shower if you wanted to warm up."

"What about you?"

"I've got my own clothes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll order the pizza."

Without a backwards glance, Finn left the room in search of the bathroom. Rory shook her head, and began her hunt for the telephone.

* * *

**AN: I hope you guys can all follow the conversations in this chapter. Maybe I got a little teeny bit carried away, but I had fun! Tell me what you think- Rebecca**


	3. SpongeBob?

Epithet of a Heart

Chapter 3

Rory emerged from her room in nice warm clothes to find Finn lounging on the couch, eating pizza, clad in nothing but a towel wrapped securely around his waist. As far as she could tell, he hadn't noticed her come into the room, so she took a minute to study him. He looked good, she thought, surprised. Toned abs and tanned skin, hair still dripping wet from the shower. Unconsciously, she licked her lips.

"Like what you see, Rory?" said Finn without looking up. Slowly, he brought his head up to look at Rory and caught her mid-lick. He quirked an eyebrow and leered at her.

"Yeah. Looks delicious," said Rory, returning his leer.

"Well then, why don't you come over here and get some?" Finn asked seductively.

Rory shrugged. "Okay, I will." She flounced over and picked up a piece of pizza. "Yumm…." she purred as she took a bite.

Finn stuck out his tongue. "Mean."

Rory looked up at him, and pretended to notice his attire for the first time. "Finn? Why aren't you dressed?"

"Delivery boy came when I was getting out of the shower. I didn't want the pizza to run away, so I answered the door."

"Why don't you go get dressed now?"

"What…and let you hog all of the pizza? Besides," he added. "My clothes are all wet and icky!"

"Sorry," said Rory, her voice noticeably unremorseful. "Like I said, I don't have any clothes that would fit you."

"What you don't have _any_ oversized tee-shirts, or any pairs of boxers around? Isn't that illegal for a college student?"

Rory sighed; Finn was unstoppable. "Fine, you caught me," she relented, throwing her hands in the air. She got up to her feet, and stomped off to her room, indicating that Finn should follow her.

Finn took his time getting up and making his way into the room. He leaned against the doorframe and watched Rory rummage through the back of her closet.

"A ha!" she cried triumphantly, waving around a large, red shirt that asked presumptuously, 'Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I walk by again?'

Finn chuckled. "I knew that deep down, you were exactly like me."

Rory looked up, confused. "What?"

"That shirt you are currently brandishing?"

Rory nodded unsurely, partly due to the fact that she had no idea where he was going with this line of questioning, and partly due to the fact that he could still use large words like 'brandishing' after a half a dozen or so beers.

"I have one _just_ like it," he said, emphasizing the 'just' slightly too much, proving to Rory, at least, that he was just as drunk as she was.

"You would!" Rory shot back tartly.

"What? You don't like the shirt?" Rory just gave him a look that said 'what do you think?'

"So why do you have it if you don't like it?" pressed Finn, his one-track mind whirling.

Rory shrugged. "My mom probably forced it on me."

"Ah yes, the infamous Lorelai Victoria Gilmore."

Rory was fed up with the conversation. She balled up the shirt, and attempted to throw it at him. Her aim was off, and it landed a few feet into the common room. As Finn reached down to pick it up and shrug it on, Rory padded back over to the couch.

"Rory? What about the boxers?"

"I never said I had any!" said Rory petulantly from her perch on the couch.

"You never said you didn't!"

Rory sighed. She could see Finn wasn't going to give this up. She walked back into her room and opened her pajama drawer. Again, she bunched up the fabric and chucked it at him. This time, she managed to hit him, and he grabbed it automatically.

He took one look at the fabric and yelped. "SpongeBob?"

Rory smirked.

"You expect me to wear SpongeBob boxers?"

Rory shrugged. "You were the one that wanted boxers so badly."

"I changed my mind."

"Oh, just put them on already. I want to watch a movie!"

Finn acquiesced, and shortly later, they were sitting watching Two Weeks Notice. Rory recited line for line the dialogue of the movie until Finn gave in and put his hand over her mouth.

"Shh! I can't hear the movie!" he stage whispered to her.

"Don't be ridiculous," she stage whispered back. "I know the lines better than Sandra and Hugh did."

"That may be so, but I'd like to hear Sandra and Hugh say them if you don't mind."

Rory stuck her tongue out at him, but he had already turned back to the movie and didn't notice.

By the time they had reached the part where Sandra Bullock claimed to be a 'twisty bobcat pretzel,' Finn had grown bored. He turned to Rory.

"So," he began, but was quickly silenced when she slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up! This is the best part!" Finn waited patiently as they watched the duo on screen share an awkward, half-drunken kiss. Rory pushed the remote, and the movie disappeared.

Rory turned toward Finn and waited for him to continue.

She didn't have to wait long. "Truth or Dare?"

Unfazed, Rory said, "Truth."

"What happened to you and Logan?" Finn asked. He had been wondering for quite some time, ever since she stopped showing up at their dorm.

"There never was a me and Logan," said Rory surprisingly calmly. Finn quirked an eyebrow at her and waited for her to continue. "I wanted strings," she confessed quietly.

Finn nodded sagely. "Ah, the dreaded strings."

He managed to elicit a drunken giggle from Rory. "I told him I could do no strings attached. It just so happened that that wasn't very fun."

"Huh. Who knew? So, you're still waiting for strings?"

"Not necessarily from Logan. But yeah, I'm still waiting for strings."

"Sounds fair to me."

They drifted into small talk for a while before Rory emitted a loud, jaw-cracking yawn.

"Well, will you look at the time," said Finn. "I should probably get going. We have successfully survived the dreaded Valentines Day," Rory looked over at the clock that read 12:07 while Finn continued talking. "And I'm sure the lady needs her beauty sleep."

"What? Are you saying I'm ugly?"

"Never," said Finn truthfully as they stood up.

Rory walked him to the door. He leaned down and gently brushed her lips with his. Rory's eyes widened.

"Well, ta-ta for now!"

Finn had disappeared out into the hall before Rory thought to call after him. "Finn!"

His head reappeared quickly. "Yes, love?"

"It's still raining out, and you're wearing a tee-shirt and pair of boxers. Why don't you stay the night, sleep on the couch, and save yourself the flirtation with pneumonia?"

Finn shrugged, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "If you insist."

* * *

**AN: Don't worry, Rory will obsess next chapter. I'm sorry its taken me so long to update this story. I'm not sure how long this is going to be - I don't want to drag it out and have nothing happen! Whatever. **

**What did you think? Review, please- Rebecca**


	4. Stolen Kisses

Epithet of a Heart  
Chapter 4

As Rory lay down to try to go to sleep, her mind was whirling. Finn had kissed her, and she had invited him to stay the night. The strangest part, the part that scared her the most, was that this hadn't phased her one single bit. It felt _normal_.

When Finn had ambushed her at the pub, she hadn't expected to have such a good time. She hadn't expected them to be so comfortable around each other. It was like they fit, like the missing pieces of one were filled by the other. This thought scared Rory – she had never thought of herself as 'incomplete.' If anything, she would have said that her mother was her other half.

Shaking those thoughts away temporarily, Rory's mind returned to their conversation at the pub. Finn's revelation about his parents had made him seem more approachable to her. He no longer seemed 'larger than life,' like a person without problems who lived life whatever damn way he pleased. The vulnerability that had been present in his voice when he talked of his parents separating had shown her how deeply it had affected him and she hadn't pushed for more details, curious though obviously she was. She hadn't wanted to upset him any more – especially not on Valentines Day.

Valentines Day. She was unspeakably glad that it was over. What a day. Now, she just wanted to sleep and let her liver cleanse her system of all the alcohol she had consumed. Unfortunately, she found herself quite unable to sleep. Maybe it had something to do with the knowledge that less than twenty feet away, Finn was sleeping in the other room.

She had never gotten used to guys sleeping over. Her own father was never home enough to make a lasting impression and her mother had always been careful to keep the guys she dated separate from her life with Rory. The handful of times Rory herself had slept with Dean and Logan, not much sleeping had been involved. She would wake up to an empty bed, and although she knew it should, it really hadn't bothered her. Why would it? It was just like what she was used to.

But with Finn it was different. He was so genuine and she had the feeling that he would still be on the couch in the morning when she exited her room. Suddenly, she felt the need to see him again. As quietly as she could, she tiptoed out of her room. She made her way sure-footedly to stand next to the couch. The moonlight slipped through the curtains and highlighted Finn's face. His eyes were closed – what a pity, Rory thought, his eyes were his best feature. His eyes were always filled with a bit of mischief and a definite smirk – such a Finn-like characteristic. As her eyes trailed down to look at his lips, she started to reevaluate the importance of his eyes.

Those lips had kissed her.

As she thought back, she realized the word 'kiss' might have been being too generous. His lips had brushed hers. Just enough of a preview of what she was missing to leave her wanting more. Needing more.

She sat down next to the couch to have a better view of him. She couldn't believe she felt such a strong connection to him. And although she had thought about it, she decided that she couldn't just pass it off as being lonely on V-day. She'd never had so much fun just hanging around with a guy. Every time he called her 'love' or 'hun' she had felt a small fluttering in her stomach and warmth spreading through her body – both telltale signs that she might feel something for him. Something that she hoped was reciprocated. With Finn it was so hard to tell.

Impulsively, she leaned forward to press her lips to his. Just another brief kiss, stolen in the dead of night. As she drew herself away, she regretted that she wouldn't be bold enough to do that in the morning. She sighed and gently rested her forehead against Finn's. Although she knew she was just making it harder for herself, she couldn't keep from touching him. Her hand tenderly traveled down the contours of his face, caressing his skin softly. Unexpectedly, her hand was grasped in a much larger one. Rory jumped, startled at being caught, and felt herself beginning to blush.

Finn spoke without opening his eyes. "Not that I'm complaining, but is there any reason you're waking me up like that in the middle of the night?"

"Sorry," Rory whispered, on the verge of tears. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Finn's fingers started stroking the inside of Rory's palm. "Like I said, I'm not complaining, other than the fact that it's much too early to be awake."

At his soothing tone, Rory smiled a little. "At least the sun's not out yet!" she commented as her mind conjured up Finn's aversion to the sun.

Finally, his eyes opened and he smiled crookedly. "Well, I guess there is that!" When Rory didn't reply, Finn wisely did not mention her stolen kiss. Instead, he asked kindly, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," came Rory's automatic response. Finn's gaze hardened slightly and seemed to penetrate her. She relented, "Actually, I'm not totally fine."

Finn's eyes softened again. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what I'm doing," Rory whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Nobody does," Finn offered comfortingly. He sat up slightly. "Come 'ere." He patted the spot next to him. Tentatively, she climbed up next to him. As soon as she settled herself down, he pulled her into a hug. "It's all going to be okay, love."

She let him hold her for a few minutes. As she sat there, comforted in his arms, her mind kept repeating his last sentence over and over. She zeroed in on the way his voice had said 'love' – so affectionately and warmly. It hit her that she had never seen him be that way with anyone else. A small niggling of hope grew within her – maybe there was something there after all. Suddenly emboldened, she pulled back slightly from his embrace. She looked up and really met his eyes for the first time.

His face had confusion written blatantly all over it. What had he done wrong?

Throwing all caution into the wind, she leaned up to kiss him. For a second, he didn't respond and she worried that she had misinterpreted his words and actions. He only saw her as a friend. She began to pull away and had already started composing an apology when she felt Finn deepen the kiss.

Relief coursed through her and she inadvertently grinned. Take that morning! Night was definitely her favorite time of day!

**

* * *

**

**AN: Not my usual fluffy banter or humor…I'm not really sure what happened to this chapter…I'm so confused.**

**I really feel the need to explain why I haven't updated in…OMG, over two months, but unfortunately I have no concrete excuse. All I can say is that my muse abandoned me. (Although that much is probably obvious to those of you that made it through the chapter) Anyway, all I can say is that I'm really sorry! I'll try and start updating more regularly again, but I'm not sure. Although I must say, reviews help. So, tell me what you thought please? - Rebecca**


	5. You'll ruin it!

**AN: I think I've forgotten to put a disclaimer in this story. Bad, bad Rebecca. Anyway, here it is:**

**I, rjs0123, do not own Gilmore Girls. They belong to ASP. She seems to appreciate them, so I will restrain myself from leading a coup d'etat and leave them in her capable hands. However, she doesn't seem to appreciate Finn quite enough, so I have usurped him and granted him this fic. **

Epithet of a Heart

Chapter 5

Rory woke up disoriented. Where was she? Nearly a minute passed before she realized that she was on her couch. Slowly the previous night drifted back into her mind. Pub…darts….picking locks….kissing Finn. As his name floated across her mind, she became instantly alert. Without opening her eyes, she felt around the couch, but Finn was nowhere to be found.

A tear leaked down her face. She had been wrong. Finn hadn't stayed the night. Finn wasn't any different. Ashamed of herself for expecting him to be different – nay better – than the others and at least stay the night, Rory rolled over slowly and stuffed her face in the pillow before beginning to cry quietly.

She was so consumed in her misery that she didn't notice Finn return from the bathroom. He laid his hand on her shoulder gently. "What's the matter, love?" His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Startled, Rory turned to face him. "You're still here?" she asked, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Of course, love. Where else would I be?" Finn returned Rory's confused look.

Rory shook her head. "I thought you left."

"Do you want me to leave?" The disappointment in Finn's voice was palpable. Slowly, he rose and turned towards the door.

"NO!" Rory desperately cried out, unable to find the right words. Finn stopped, and turned back towards Rory. "That's not what I meant!" she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears again.

Finn smiled, glad that she didn't seem to want him to leave. "I'm confused, hun."

Rory cracked a small smile. "Sorry."

"S'okay," Finn murmured. "So let me get this clear… you don't want me to leave?" Rory shook her head furiously. "Do you want some breakfast?"

After a moment of consideration, Rory nodded her head. "Sure. That sounds good."

They sat for a moment, neither making a move to get up. Finally, Finn broke the silence. "I hate to be the one to tell you, but you have to at least sit up to have breakfast. I don't think your grandmother would appreciate it if you spilled coffee all over your couch!"

"Coffee?" Rory perked up instantly. "Where?"

Finn looked around. "Not here, it looks like," he grinned at her.

"Meanie!" Rory thought about sticking her tongue out at him, but caught herself before she completed the action. It was just too juvenile.

"I try." He winked at her.

When she saw that he was serious, she groaned and tried to sit up. Quickly, Finn took her hand and pulled her into a sitting position. At the change in posture, her head shrieked in defiance and she moaned. Finn steadied her body quietly, nonjudgmental in his kindness.

"Thanks," she whispered to him, ashamed at herself for forgetting how much she had had to drink the night before.

"Don't worry about it. Why don't you go take a shower? You'll feel better afterwards."

She was touched by his concern and didn't exactly know how to respond to it. "Are you trying to say I smell? Or you don't like the way my hair looks?" she questioned, having decided humor would be the best response.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Get outta here!"

Rory complied, moving more slowly than normal. "I can't believe you're kicking me out of my own common room!" she grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll thank me later!" he called after her congenially.

"That's what you think!" she quipped as she disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door tightly behind her.

When Rory emerged twenty minutes later, clad in nothing but a towel, Finn was watching flipping through the channels on her T.V. watching what appeared to be cartoons. As she reached her room, she called back to him. "Those are cartoons, aren't they? 'Cause if they are, I'm wondering why you put up such a big fuss about the SpongeBob boxers last night."

Finn turned, having not heard Rory exit the bathroom, ready to defend himself. "This is not -" As soon as he caught sight of the scantily clad Rory, he forgot what he was saying.

At his lack of a complete response, Rory turned around slightly. "You know, you're right, Finn. I feel _much_ better!" At that, Finn's mouth snapped shut, unable to believe the words he was hearing coming from Rory's mouth.

Rory's smile quirked as she saw the affect she was having on Finn. She winked at him playfully before entering her bedroom to find some clothes.

When she returned not five minutes later, now clad in a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, Finn was still in the same position. Laughing, she picked up her messenger bag and shut off the television. "Let's go," she demanded, eyebrows arched as she pulled him to his feet.

She was already out the door by the time he regained control of his motor skills. "Wait for me, love!" She paid no attention to him, and he only caught up to her when she had stopped at a coffee cart.

He watched silently as she downed the steaming liquid. "Like coffee much?" he asked dryly.

"No," she said simply. He gaped at her. "Like is such an understatement!"

Laughing, he caught her hand in his and they casually strolled around campus. It wasn't long before they ran into Logan and Colin, who were looking a little under the weather. Immediately, Finn dropped Rory's hand, unsure as to whether or not it would be okay with her for his friends to see them. She shot him a questioning look, but before she had time to ask verbally Logan and Colin were within earshot.

"G'day," Finn greeted his friends. They glared at him at it was obvious they were still hung-over. "Or maybe it isn't," he said slowly.

"Looks like you had a good night," commented Colin.

"Eh, not really," shrugged Finn. "But it has been a good morning," he added, looking pointedly at Rory, who smirked. This nonverbal exchange went unnoticed by the somewhat unresponsive duo.

"Well, I've got to get to class," Rory said, looking at Finn.

"Do you have to?" whined Finn.

Rory rolled her eyes before leaning up to catch his lips in a passionate kiss. This did not go unnoticed by the other two, who were starting to look more alert by the moment.

Finn pulled away slowly. "Rory -" he began, but before he could get more than her name out, she interrupted him softly, making sure to keep her voice just under her breath so Colin and Logan couldn't hear it.

"Don't. You'll ruin it," she said, grinning impishly at him. Raising her voice to its normal volume, she continued. "I'll see you later, okay?"

It took Finn a couple of seconds to realize she was talking to him. "Yeah. Sounds good."

"Alright then," said Rory, turning slightly as she began walking towards her class. Over her shoulder, she called to Colin and Logan. "Bye boys!"

* * *

**AN: I'm still not sure where I'm going with this. I'm finding it hard to write, but I'm not giving up yet. Leave feedback, please! - Rebecca**


	6. Numbers vs Letters

Epithet of a Heart

Chapter 6

As Rory left, Finn watched Logan's eyes follow her movements. This was not good. Logan looking at Rory like she'd just stolen his favorite Porsche was definitely not a good sign for Finn. But at this moment, he didn't care. He couldn't bring himself to care. Rory Gilmore had just kissed him in front of his friends. After that, who would care?

Colin's voice snapped him out of his reverie. "What was that?"

"That," Finn drawled, startled to find Logan glaring at him like there was no tomorrow, "was a girl, mate."

Colin rolled his eyes. "Obviously. That wasn't what I was getting at."

"Oh, you meant her actions back there? That was called a kiss. Although I must admit that I'm surprised you don't recognize that when you see it." Finn grinned lazily, actually enjoying watching Logan turn red.

Colin, on the other hand, was simply amused. "You are impossible," he told Finn, resigned to the fact that Finn wasn't going to kiss and tell, so to speak.

"Thank you." Finn squared his shoulders and began walking in the direction that the other two had emerged from.

His escape, however, was not to be. "Finn." Logan had finally found his voice.

At the sound of his friends voice, Finn turned around, eyebrows raised, waiting. Logan continued. "Did you forget the rule?"

"Rule?" Finn looked confused.

"Don't date each other's exes." Logan's tone was meant to be menacing, but it didn't really come out that way.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Mate, from what she told me, she isn't an ex."

"What?" Logan began gesturing frantically.

"You never gave her strings," said Finn simply as he turned to go.

"Since when has that ever been a criterion for determining who is an ex?" Logan's sentence barely made sense, but Finn knew what he was getting at.

"Since now." Finn's tone left no room for argument. Hearing no objections, he started for the dorm again.

Colin smirked. "That was interesting."

Logan was tempted to tell him to 'fuck off' but bit his tongue.

Colin continued. "So, what was your problem? Still have a thing for the reporter?"

Logan shrugged. "Not really." Truth be told, Logan wasn't particularly bothered by this turn of events. What bothered him the most was how easy it was for Rory to turn him down and make him own up to his own bullshit. He knew he couldn't commit, but having his face rubbed in the fact wasn't his favorite either.

"Alright," said Colin, dragging the word out, obviously not willing to buy a word Logan said. "Whatever you say."

"Damn right," smirked Logan. "Whatever I say."

* * *

Rory was frantically studying for a test that she had mistakenly forgotten to make note of when Finn showed up. He put his hands over her eyes and, ignoring her shriek of dismay, whispered huskily in her ear, "Guess who?"

"Finn!"

"You better quiet down. This is a library, you know," Finn chastised her softly.

Her attempts to dislodge his hands turned frantic when his thumbs began to gently stroke her earlobes. "Finn, I'm studying!"

Finn's hands paused. "Hmm…is that what this is?"

With an overly dramatic sigh, Rory grabbed Finn's hands by the wrist and brought them down from her eyes. She craned her neck slightly to look at him. She blushed as she realized how close they actually where. "Hi."

"Hi, love." The moment between them stretched forever. Just before it threatened to become an awkward silence, Finn plopped down in the seat next to her. His eyes took in the mountains of notes assembled on the table before them and he lifted his eyebrow quizzically. "So, what _is_ all of this?"

Rory stifled a giggle and tried to look stern. "This," she said, motioning between herself and her notes, "is me studying." She saw Finn open his mouth to retort. "-Trying to study."

Finn smirked. "Okay, I got that, love, but _what_ are you studying?"

"Calc."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Well, I was going to offer to help you study, but I never did get the hang of calculus." He paused, his eyes twinkling. "I always thought that math should be more numbers than letters. I never really caught on after that change happened."

Rory smirked. "Finn, didn't that happen in like the 9th grade?"

Finn just shrugged.

Rory laughed for a minute at his nonchalant attitude. "So, to what do I owe this blessed interruption?"

Finn looked hurt. "Since when do I need a reason to visit a beautiful lady?"

"Since you decided to interrupt my precious studying. This is a very important test coming up and I really need to pass this class."

Finn waved off her objections. "Calc, schmalc. Who ever really needs it?"

"People who plan on graduating," she countered quickly.

"Ooh, you're one of those?" Rory rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Finn caved. "Okay, I came looking for you to tell you that I had a really good time last night."

"The feeling is mutual," Rory said off-handedly, as if they weren't discussing anything more pressing than next weeks weather.

Finn shifted slightly, feeling suddenly anxious. "And I was wondering if you would like to do it again sometime?"

Rory glanced up, taken aback. Suddenly, she started to laugh. Catching Finn's confused and definitely hurt look, she tried to keep her laughter contained enough to give him a coherent answer. "Sorry, it's just that, well, I thought that was, well, understood." As Finn continued to gape at her, Rory decided to elaborate. "You don't usually see me engaging in PDA's with random guys, do you?"

Having recovered from his initial shock and temporary paralysis, Finn opened his mouth with a witty retort ready on the edge of his tongue.

Rory caught the gleam in his eyes and cut him off. "Don't answer that."

Finn smirked, knowing she got where he was headed. "Wouldn't dream of it, love."

Rory glared at him and turned back to her notes. Having got what he wanted, Finn got as comfortable as he could in the straight-backed library chair and began to watch her work. After a while, he got up and pushed his chair in. As he turned to go, she looked up. "I might have to give this studying thing a try, love. Watching you is starting to turn me on."

* * *

**AN: I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just have been diagnosed with this terrible disease called 'Writer-is Block-ius' with a little side of 'Procrastination-ium.' The specialist has kindly assured me that it will go away given time, patience and maybe some kind reviews. Okay, you got me, all I have is a stupid eye infection. Anyway, I'm sorry, I'm getting stuck. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.**

**Rebecca**


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